“This new law protects consumers by holding them harmless in times of both emergency situations when choosing a provider is not an option, and in non-emergency situations when communication may not be made clear regarding out-of-network providers who may be offering care. As a result, consumers are left with a more affordable bill comparable to what they would have paid if the provider had been in their network.

“For the Florida families who have experienced the ramifications of balance billing, this new law will ensure that they will never again face the same troubling situation. To the families who have not experienced this situation, thankfully they will never have to.”

Earlier in the week, Atwater thanked the governor for signing Senate Bill 966, which requires life insurance companies to expand their efforts to find beneficiaries of deceased policyholders. Atwater and state Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty are scheduled to be part of CBS News’ 60 Minutes program this Sunday to talk about the issue.

ADDITIONAL UPDATE: Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, thanked Scott for his support of HB 221, which also includes a provision expanding health coverage to Floridians with Down syndrome.

Here is Gardiner’s statement:

“Speech, occupational and physical therapies along with applied behavior analysis services can make a big difference in the ability of individuals with Down syndrome to further their education and career goals, while greatly improving their quality of life. Insurance coverage will make these therapies more affordable for families across Florida who have either been struggling to pay out-of-pocket, or going without these life-changing services.

"I am so grateful to Gov. Scott for signing this bill and my colleagues in the Florida House and Senate for passing this critical legislation that will mean so much to families across our state who have a family member with Down syndrome.”

TALLAHASSEE -- Overshadowed by debates over tax cuts, alimony and gambling, the Florida Legislature took several steps this year to protect consumers. The legislation targeted life insurance, medical bills and property insurance.

Whether the bills become laws rests with Gov. Rick Scott, who now has them among the final legislation from the 2016 session still pending in his office.

Here are some of the key measures:

• Life insurance: Life insurers will face stricter requirements for finding beneficiaries of deceased policyholders. The bill (SB 966), which was a top priority for Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, requires the insurers to search the Social Security Administration’s death master file for all of their policyholders retroactively to 1992 and every year going forward. If beneficiaries can’t be found, the money will be turned over to Atwater’s unclaimed property program where the search can be continued.

• Medical bills: In what is being called a national model, consumers will be better protected from being blind-sided by hefty out-of-network medical bills if they are being treated in an emergency or if “the insured does not have the ability and opportunity to choose a participating provider at the facility who is available to treat the insured.” The so-called balance billing prohibition (HB 221) has the support of Atwater and also contains a provision extending large-group insurance coverage to Floridians with Down syndrome, a priority of Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando.

• Citizens: Floridians who are covered by Citizens Property Insurance will have more protections when they being offered “take-out” policies that would move them out of the government-backed insurer to a private company. The bill (HB 931) requires Citizens, not the private insurers, to inform policyholders about the take-out plan, including information on the premiums, coverages and the right of consumers to reject the take out.

• Gas pump skimmers: The bill (SB 912), a priority of Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, will require enhanced security measures on retail gas pumps that have credit card scanners. It also increases the penalty for criminals involved with counterfeit credit cards. Scott has approved this bill.

• Hospital transparency: The bill (HB 1175) requires hospitals to post searchable information on their websites of the average cost of certain services. It also requires information on financial assistance programs and informs consumers of how they can receive an estimate of their charges.

Brad Ashwell, legislative director for the Florida Alliance for Consumer Protection, called the 2016 session “a mixed bag for consumers.”

The consumer alliance supported the legislation curbing unexpected out-of-network medical bills and also praised a bill (SB 626) that will protect military members from paying exorbitant interest rates on payday loans and other short-term financial arrangements, with an overall cap of 36 percent.

The consumer group expressed disappointment that the Legislature never heard bills (HB 1177, SB 1524) that would have placed a 30 percent annual percentage rate cap on payday loans for all Floridians. Consumers now pay rates that can be in excess of 280 percent, with studies show the payday loans are most frequently used by low-income and minority Floridians.

The group did praise lawmakers for putting $500,000 into the new state budget, which Scott has approved, that will allow United Way and other groups to provide free-tax preparation to more than 20,000 low-income Floridians. It could result in more than $20 million in tax refunds and upwards of $10 million in earned income tax credits, the consumer alliance said.

WINNER OF THE WEEK: Cohabitation. Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill repealing an 1868 law that prohibited unmarried men and women from living together. An estimated 438,000 Florida couples were believed to be violating the law, which carried a fine up to $500 and up to 60 days in jail for violators. Florida was one of the few states left with a ban on cohabitation before Scott approved the change in law.

LOSER OF THE WEEK: Civility. Gov. Rick Scott got hit by a profanity-laced tirade when he stopped at a Gainesville Starbucks for a cup of coffee. Cara Jennings, a former Lake Worth city commissioner and activist, had every right to voice her opposition to Scott’s support of a bill limiting abortion services in Florida and his opposition to expanding Medicaid. But public discourse becomes the loser when the critic uses profanity and essentially ends up shouting at the governor in an episode that was recorded and went viral on YouTube.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Manatees are iconic residents of Florida. We should be doing all we can to ensure the survival of these gentle giants,” U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, said in a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, urging the federal agency not to downgrade its protection of manatees under the Endangered Species Act

Lloyd Dunkelberger

Lloyd Dunkelberger is the Htpolitics.com Capital Bureau Chief.
He can be reached by email or call 850 556-3542.
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Last modified: April 14, 2016
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